Crail, Scotland … Two-time major champion John Daly said he ‘fed off’ playing partners Peter Jacobsen and Fuzzy Zoeller in shooting a round of 70 on the first day on the PGA Champions Tour.
The double Major winner became eligible to compete in the ‘over 50 brigade’ on April 28, and he did so at the Insperity Invitational in Woodlands, Texas, near Houston.
And ‘J D’ made an impression even before making his way to the first tee with the first 1 000 spectators to arrive at the course received Daly bobblehead dolls, and fans sporting his brightly patterned “Loudmouth” clothing line received prizes.
John Daly tees off in his first event on the Champions Tour. (Photo – www.championstour.com)
Daly himself marked the occasion with an outfit of red and turquoise trousers, firing a two-under 70 that left him tied for 12th, four shots behind first-round leader Mike Goodes.
He played alongside Peter Jacobsen and buddy Fuzzy Zoeller – who once vowed to give the famously hard-living Daly $150 000 if he made it to 50 years of age.Daly said this week he wouldn’t make Zoeller pay up.
One thousdand John Daly bobbles given out 1st day of Daly’s Champions Tour debut in Texas. (Photo – John Daly)
Daly said his game was “really solid” admitting he had expected some rust after playing just twice this year.
“I was surprised how good I hit the ball,” Daly said. “I hit a lot of fairways, and that one-iron was a blessing today for me. I mean, even when I didn’t hit it good, it was going in the fairway, and I gave myself a lot of chances.”
He admitted to some “rookie” nerves.
“It was like starting all over,” Daly said. “The nerves were good, but it’s cool coming out here and having positive nerves, and I just fed off Fuzzy and Jake. You know, I couldn’t have asked to play with two better people. For my first round on the Champions Tour, we just had a blast.”
- Extra reporting AFP
